Ideas for Having Fun in College on a $0 Budget

By guest blogger Stan Whitcomb
Stan is a freshman at Santa Clara University. He is currently undecided, but is leaning towards a major in computer science. He is new to the blogosphere but is a seasoned writer (thanks English class!). In his free time, he likes to Dougie with his hallamtes and he is an avid Frisbee player.

Well, it’s a random Thursday afternoon. You’re bored, you’ve finished all of your homework for Friday, and your wallet is empty. It’s that rare time where three hours seems to stretch a mile. The question probably floating around your head is “What do I do?” If kicking it in the back seat or sitting in the front seat aren’t options, then it is up to you to find some free fun.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to have fun for free!

Photo by Larry Miller

1.Go to the Gym – The gym is a great place. Whether you are playing basketball, swimming laps, or running your heart out on an elliptical machine with your favorite magazine, the gym is entertaining and good for you! Not only that, physical exercise releases endorphins in your body, giving you a feeling of pleasure. Every time you lift a weight, it’s a little burst of happiness for your brain. Neat huh?

2. Attend an on-campus performance – On-campus performances may not be Academy Award winning performances or Grammy nominated concerts, but you would be pleasantly surprised to find out that this does not make them mediocre. In fact, seeing friends and other people you know acting in Shakespeare plays or being hilarious in an improvisational comedy group is awesome. All you have to do is look at the posters outside of the main performance hall on your campus to find out when the free shows are. Quick tip: Once you find a show you want to attend, put it in your phone as a reminder.

3. Join a Club – For the most part joining a club is a free activity. Occasionally, clubs require members to pay dues but typically the academic clubs are free. So, if you have a talent for writing, join the journalism club and write for your school paper. If you love outdoor adventures, join your school’s ski club or white water rafting club. Or, if you think you’ve got what it takes to be a funny man/woman, then the improv club might be the place for you. Clubs are easy to find simply by looking at posting around campus or checking out your student leadership office.

So whether it is active, passive, or hilarious, free fun is out there in bundles. All you have to do is close the computer, and go exploring the campus.